Box Score

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Southeastern Louisiana fell to top-seeded Nicholls, 7-4, in the opening game of day two of the Southland Conference Softball Tournament Wednesday morning at Joe Miller Field.
 
Southeastern (36-20) will return to the field at 4 p.m. Wednesday to face Northwestern State in an elimination game. The top-seeded Colonels (39-13) extended their win streak to 12 games and will face the winner of Wednesday's second game between McNeese and Stephen F. Austin in the winner's bracket game on Thursday at 11 a.m.
 
The Colonels scored a run in every inning but the first, as they touched up Southeastern senior Rachel Hayes (16-9) and sophomore reliever Alley McDonald for 11 hits. SLU was led at the plate by senior Mahalia Gibson (3-for-4) and junior Jaquelyn Ramon (2-for-3). Gibson drove in her single-season school record 56^th and 57^th runs of the season, while sophomores Ali McCoy and Mattie Ort also posted RBI.
 
Nicholls took the early lead in the bottom of the second inning. An error on Hayes led to two unearned runs and put the Lady Lions in an early 2-0 hole.
 
Nicholls junior and Southland Pitcher of the Year Megan Landry (22-7) sat down the first seven Southeastern batters before freshman Madison Watson walked and Ramon singled to put a pair on with one out. However, Landry recovered to strike out senior Maddie Edmonston and then Colonel junior left fielder Kasey Frederick made a great running catch to rob SLU senior Kinsey Nichols of extra bases and maintain a 2-0 Nicholls advantage.
 
The Colonels padded the lead in the bottom of the third. With one out, senior Moriah Strother launched a towering home run over the left field scoreboard to chase Hayes from the game and extend the Nicholls lead to 3-0.
 
Southeastern finally got on the board in the top of the fourth inning. Gibson led off the frame with a single. One out later, Ort ripped a double into the left centerfield gap to score freshman pinch runner Anna Rodenberg. Ort would advance to third on an error and score on a sacrifice fly by McCoy to cut the Nicholls lead to 3-2.
 
The Colonels got a run back in their half of the fourth inning. Freshman Emma Holland opened the frame with a double to right centerfield, moved to third on a groundout by freshman Corynn Major and scored on an infield single by freshman Kelsey Miller to put Nicholls ahead, 4-2.
 
SLU answered right back in the top of the fifth inning. Ramon beat out an infield single and scored when Gibson dropped a double just inside the left field line to chop the Colonel advantage to 4-3.  
 
Nicholls had an answer of its own in the bottom of the fifth. A two-run single just off the outstretched glove of Ramon padded the Colonel lead to 6-3.
 
The Colonels added another insurance run in their half of the sixth inning. Frederick beat out an infield single and Strother followed with double just out of the reach of a diving Nichols, allowing sophomore pinch runner Brooklyn Devine to score all the way from first to give the Colonels a 7-3 cushion.
 
SLU mounted one last rally in the top of the seventh inning. Edmonston singled and scored on an RBI single by Gibson. Junior Rebecca Skains singled to bring the tying run to the plate in the form of freshman Madisen Blackford, but Nicholls freshman reliever Alexis LaBure forced her to ground out to secure the three-run victory.
 
The first three days of tournament play will be streamed live on the Southland Digital Network at www.southland.org/live and via the Southland Conference app. The tournament's championship game will be televised on ESPNU. Links to live stats and video will be accessible on the softball schedule page at www.LionSports.net. The winner of the tournament will receive the Southland's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
SLU – 000 210 1 – 4 9 1 (36-20)
NICH – 021 121 x – 7 11 1 (39-13)
Rachel Hayes, Alley McDonald (3) and Ella Manzer. Megan Landry, Alexis LaBure (7) and Moriah Strother. W - . L - . HR – NICH: Moriah Strother (8). 2B – SLU: Mattie Ort (5), Ella Manzer (9), Mahalia Gibson (11); NICH: Emma Holland (4), Amanda Gianelloni (12). Moriah Strother (4). T – 2:21. A – n/a.
 
2018 Southland Conference Softball Tournament
May 8-11, 2018 | Joe Miller Field | Lake Charles, Louisiana
 
Tuesday, May 8 (All Games on Southland Digital Network)
Game 1 – No. 8 Sam Houston State 9, No. 5 Central Arkansas 1 (UCA eliminated)*
Game 2 – No. 7 Northwestern State 4, No. 6 Abilene Christian 3 (ACU eliminated)*
Game 3 – No. 4 Southeastern Louisiana 7, Sam Houston State 0
Game 4 – No. 3 McNeese 12, Northwestern State 5
* - Single-elimination
 
Wednesday, May 9 (All Games on Southland Digital Network)
Game 5 – No. 1 Nicholls 7, Southeastern Louisiana 4
Game 6 – No. 2 Stephen F. Austin vs. McNeese, 1:30 p.m.
Game 7 – Northwestern State vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 4 p.m.
Game 8 – Sam Houston State vs. Loser Game 6, 6:30 p.m.
 
Thursday, May 10 (All Games on Southland Digital Network)
Game 9 – Nicholls vs. Winner Game 6, 11 a.m.
Game 10 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 1:30 p.m.
Game 11 – Loser Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10, 4 p.m.
 
Friday, May 11
Game 12 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, Noon (ESPNU)
Game 13 – Rematch only necessary if Winner Game 11 wins Game 12, TBD (ESPN3)
Tournament winner advances to the NCAA Tournament